Shoe bottom heater



March 1954 D. ALDERMAN ET AL 2,672,545

SHOE BOTTOM HEATER Filed Nov. 28, 1952 a Invenfors.

A9022 [7. nlaer'ma/z Ralph E. M75255 J7? Patented Mar. 16, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE BOTTOM HEATER Application November 28, 1952, Serial No. 323,114

7 Claims.

This invention relates to apparatus for heating shoe bottoms, and is illustrated as embodied in a shoe bottom heater adaptedfor use in heating the bottoms of lasted shoes to activate adhesive coatings thereon, although in its broadest aspects the invention is not thus limited in its use.

I It is an object of the invention to provide an improved shoe bottom heater adapted for heating the bottoms of shoes having a wide range of heel heights.

To this end and inaccordance with a feature or the invention, four separate heater units forheating respectively the forepart, ball line, shank, and heel portions of a shoe bottom are arranged to be simultaneously adjusted in such a manner that the apparatus is adapted to accommodate shoes of a very wide range of heel heights. More specifically and in accordance with another feature of the invention, the forepart, shank and heel units are pivotally connected in end-to-end relation while means are provided for adjusting the vertical position of the ball line unit together with the pivotal connection between the forepart and the shank units, the other ends of the latter units being supported for horizontal movement toward or away from each other. The said other end of the shank unit is supported byits connection to the heel heating unit which in turn is supported 'for lengthwise sliding movement. Accordingly, when the adjustable pivotal connection is lowered to accommodate an increase in the heel height of a shoe, the said ends are drawn together tending to minimize horizontal displacement of the operating disposition of the shoes during such adjustment for maintaining the ball line portion different heel heights with the entire bottom in substantially uniform spaced relation to the heating units, thus ensuring substantial uniformity of heating of the bottom, while also the shoes are always at a substantially constant level with respect to the top of the heater for enhancing the ease of loading and unloading the heater.

. In accordance with another feature of this invention adjustable clamping means are provided for holding the adjustable connection of the forepart and shank units against movement.

In accordance with still another feature of this invention, a handle is provided by which movement may be imparted to the said adjustable connection and by which the effectiveness of said clamping means in holding the adjustable connection against movement may be controlled.

The above and other features of the invention including various details of construction, and novel combinations of parts, will now be described with reference to the drawings and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a shoe heating device embodying the present invention; and V Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section taken on line 11-41 of Fig. 1.

The apparatus as illustrated comprises a box Ill having sides H and end walls i2. Preferably the box is lined with insulation it to reduce loss of heat. Inside the box there are arranged four heater units, 54, It, IS and 28 (Fig. 2) respectively for heating the heel, shank, ball line and forepart portions of a shoe. Each heating unit comprises one or more electric elements 22 in commercial elongated strip form, although other forms of elements could be employed in th units to provide similar radiation. The end portions of these heater elements 22 are secured to side rails 26, 26, and 28 respectively of the units Hi, It and 28. lhe adjacent ends of the heel and shank units are pivotally connected by hinge pins 29 (Fig. 2) connecting the associated side rails 24 and 26 while the adjacent ends of the shank and forepart heating units are pivotally connected by hinge pins 38. One end oi each pin til projects outwardly through a slot 32 in the adjacent side ll. On the outside of the box, handies 34 are connected to the projecting ends of the pins 3t and provide manual means for-rotating the pins and also for imparting heightwise movement to the pivotal connection between the forepart and shank heating units. 'The inner end of each pin 33 is threaded for screw engagement with upstanding leg portions ll) of a bracket 42 which extends transversely of the width of the box Ill. The ends of the bracket 32 carry pins M extending outwardly through the slots 32. and below the pins 35!, the pins t l serving to prevent the bracket 62 from turning about the pins 30 as pivots. The leg portions t8 are formed with flat horizontal top surfaces which. support a heater element &6 of the unit 43 which accordingly is held against rotation during vertical movement attendant upon adjustments of the heater units, and hence the radiating surface of the unit it is always maintained in a position to face the ball line portion of the shoe bottom. As best seen in Fig. 1, when the handles 3 5- are screwed tight, the adjacent interconnected ends of the side rails 2t and 28 of the shank and forepart heating units are clamped between the le portions 40 and the sides H, to hold the pivotal connections between said units against heightwise movement with an effectiveness which may be controlled by rotation of the handle 34.

The heel heating unit I4 is mounted for lengthwise sliding movement in the box It by means of transverse rods 50 and 52. These rods are carried by brackets 54 and 56 secured to the side rails 24 by means of screws 58. The ends of the rods 50 and 52 extend through slots [it and 62 formed in the sides I l.

The outer end of the forepart heating unit is supported for pivotal and for lengthwise sliding movement by a transverse rod t4 mounted in brackets 66 secured to the side rails 23 of this unit. The ends of the rod 64 extend outwardly through slots (it in the side walls I I For insuring the support of a shoe in substantially uniform spaced relation to the heatin units, transverse rods M, 16 and 1'8 are associated respectively with heating sets It, I6 and 20, the ends of the rods 74, i6 and 18 being secured respectively in the brackets 54, 80 and 66.

It will be seen that because of the heretofore described support of the heel heating unit l4 for lengthwise sliding movement and of the outer end of the forepart heating unit 29 for pivotal and for sliding movement, heightwise adjustment of the pins and hence of the unit 13 is effective to cause movement oi the heel heating unit l4 and of the outer end of the forepart heating unit 20 toward or away from each other in predetermined paths perpendicular to the paths of movement of the pins 30. Such relative movements provide good conformity of the units to the bottoms of shoes of different heel heights thus permitting substantially uniform spacing between the units and shoes. They also minimize changes in the heightwise and lengthwise operative disposition of such different shoes, thereby promoting ease and efficiency in handling the shoes while loading and unloading them from the heater.

Electric current is supplied to each heating element by means including conductors Hi which are arranged for connecting screw terminals 12 of the heater elements in parallel across a source of electric energy.

During operation, with the heater elements connected to a source of electric energy, the operator may wish to adjust the relative disposition of the heating units to accommodate shoes of a different heel height. H will then proceed to rotate the handles 34 until the clamping pressure of the leg portions to is released sufficiently to permit heightwise movement of the pivotal connection betwen the shank and forepart heating units. It will be seen that as the said pivotal connection and unit [8 are lowered to accommodate a shoe of greater heel height, the heel heating unit i4 is moved inwardly under the heel, better to conform to the contour of the shoe bottom. If it is desired to provide for adjustment of the heating units by only one of the handles 34, the other handle may be set in a position where the clamping effect provided thereby is sufficient to provide only a slight restraint upon movements of the connection.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. Apparatus for heating the bottom of a shoe comprising, in combination, three separate heating units respectively arranged for heating the forepart, shank and heel portions of the shoe, means pivotally connecting the ends of the shank unit to the adjacent ends of the forepart and heel units, means supporting the heel unit for horizontal sliding movement, means supporting the outer end of the forepart unit for pivotal and for horizontal sliding movement, and means for adjusting the position of the interconnected ends of the forepart and shank units heightwise of the heel unit whereby the positions of the three units may thus be simultaneously adjusted to conform generally to the shape of the bottoms of shoes of different heel heights.

2. Apparatus for heating the bottom of a shoe comprising, in combination, four separate heating units respectively arranged for heating the forepart, shank, heel and ball line portions of the shoe, means pivotally connecting the ends of the shank unit to the adjacent ends of the forepart and heel units, means supporting the heel unit and the outer end of the forepart unit for horizontal sliding movement, and means for supporting the ball line unit together with the interconnected ends of the forepart and shank unit in a position adjustable heightwise of said heel unit. whereby the positions of all four units may be simultaneously adjusted to conform generally to the shape of the bottom of shoes of different heel heights.

3. Apparatus for heating the bottom of a shoe comprising, in combination, three separate heating units, respectively for heating the forepart,

shank and heel portions of a shoe, each unit comprising at least one electric heating element, means pivotally connecting the ends of the shank unit to the adjacent ends of the forepart and heel units, means for adjusting the heightwise position of the interconnected ends of the forepart and shank units, means supporting th heel unit for horizontal sliding movement only, means for supporting the outer end of said forepart unit for horizontal sliding and pivoting movement, and means for supporting a shoe in spaced relation to said heating elements.

4. Apparatus for heating the bottom of a shoe comprising, in combination, three separate heating units respectively arranged for heating the forepart, shank and heel portions of said shoe, means pivotally connecting the ends of the shank unit to the adjacent ends of the forepart and heel units, means supporting the heel unit for horizontal sliding movement, means for supporting the outer end of the forepart unit for pivotal and for horizontal sliding movement, means for moving the other end of said forepart unit vertically, whereby the three units may be relatively adjusted to conform generally to the shape of a shoe bottom, means for connecting said heating units to a source of electric energy, and a plurality of rods associated with said units for supporting a shoe in substantially uniformly spaced relation above said heating units.

5. Apparatus for heating the bottom of a shoe. comprising in combination, three separate electric heating units respectively for heating the forepart, shank and heel portions of the bottom of a shoe, each unit comprising at least one electric heating element, first pivot means connecting adjacent ends of the shank heatin unit and the forepart heating unit, second pivot means connecting adjacent ends of the shank heating unit and the heel heating unit, means for supporting the heel heating unit and the outer end of the forepart heating unit for movement along first and second predetermined paths toward or away from each other, means for supporting the interconnected ends of the forepart heating unit and the shank heating unit for movement in a predetermined path perpendicular to said first and second predetermined paths whereby said units may be relatively adjusted to conform generally to the shape or a shoe bottom, means for supporting a shoe in substantially uniformly spaced relation above said heating elements, and manually operated variable-pressure clamping means for providing a variable restraint to movement of the said interconnected ends of said forepart heating unit and said shank heating unit.

6. Apparatus for heating the bottom of a shoe, comprising in combination, three heating units respectively for heating the forepart, shank and heel portions of the bottom of a shoe, means pivotally connecting the ends of the shank heating unit to the adjacent ends of the heel heating unit and of the forepart heating unit, means supporting the heel heating unit for lengthwise sliding movement, means for supporting the outer end of the forepart heatin unit for pivotal and for lengthwise sliding movement, means for supporting the interconnected ends of the forepart heating unit and the shank heating unit for heightwise movement, clamping means for holding said ends against such heightwise movement and a handle associated with said clamping means to control the effectiveness of said clamping means and to facilitate heightwise movement to said interconnected ends.

7. Apparatus for heating the bottom of a shoe comprising first, second and third heating units pivotally connected in end-to-end relation for heatin respectively the forepart, shank and heel portions of a shoe, means for supporting the interconnected ends of the first and second units for vertical movement to vary their angular relation, means for supporting said third unit and the outer end of said first unit for horizontal movement, a fourth heating unit including an elongated electric heating element, and means for supporting said elment adjacent to said interconnested ends for vertical movement therewith, said supporting means being arranged to support said element against rotation during vertical movement thereof.

LEON D. ALDERMAN. RALPH E. HOBBS, JR.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,308,551 Millner July 1, 1919 1,318,780 Lund Oct. 14, 1919 1,986,946 Smith et al. Jan. 8, 1935 2,096,372 Collella Oct. 19, 1937 2,275,430 Hart, Jr., et al Mar. 10, 1942 2,290,356 Reinhold July 21, 1942 2,619,661 Hart Dec. 2, 1952 

